Chapter 15

Historic Royal Palaces

www.historicroyalpalaces.org
See page 221 in The World Today.

Which historic royal palace would you visit on a trip to the United Kingdom? The royal family has palaces all over the country, and this website features just a few of them, all of which you can visit. Among them are Kew Palace (which is in the Royal Botanical Gardens), Kensington Palace (where Princess Diana lived) and the Tower of London (which you might not think of as a palace, but royals did live—and die—there!). And the palaces are more than just buildings. They house amazing collections of paintings, clothing, furniture, and, at the Tower of London, the crown jewels.

The Museum of London

www.museumoflondon.org.uk
See page 221 in The World Today.

A large part of the Museum of London is dedicated to the archaeology of the city of London, which was founded by the Romans almost 2000 years ago when they invaded Britain. There is more, too: paintings, photographs, and drawings of London, and artifacts from the city’s recent history. On the museum’s website, you can see virtual exhibitions or read about the history of London from the Romans through to the present day. There are lots of photos of artifacts from the museum’s collection, so you can imagine you are really there looking at them.

Visit London:
The Official Website for London

na.visitlondon.com
See page 221 in The World Today.

Plan your own trip—real or imaginary—to London, England! This website has it all: restaurants, tourist attractions, events and festivals, places to stay. Plan a day of activities—then see if you can figure out how you would get from place to place on the “Tube” (the subway).

Visit Britain

www.visitbritain.com
See page 221 in The World Today.

Want to plan a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) with more than just London on the itinerary? This is the official website for planning a trip to the UK. Try the “Holiday Ideas” section: you will find lots of ideas for planning a unique trip. Did you see the movie Pride and Prejudice—the one with Keira Knightley? You could plan a whole trip around visiting the places where that movie was filmed! Can you think of your own ideas for a “theme” trip to the UK?

Visit Denmark

www.visitdenmark.com
See page 223 in The World Today.

Visit Denmark is the official Denmark tourism site. Plan a visit to Copenhagen, of course, but to other places, too. In Odense, you can visit Hans Christian Andersen’s childhood home. Or maybe you would want to go on a tour of the country’s Viking monuments and historic sites? Denmark is also a great place to go on a family cycling holiday. What would you choose to do in Denmark?

Ludwig II of Bavaria

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria
See page 225 in The World Today.

Also known as “Mad King Ludwig,” Ludwig II of Bavaria is just one of the colourful kings of the countries that would go on to form modern Germany. His reign covers a good chunk of 19th-century German history, and he is well known for being an eccentric and creating many of Germany’s “fairy-tale castles.”

Germany Tourism

www.germany-tourism.de
See page 225 in The World Today.

Plan your virtual trip to Germany on the Germany Tourism website. Use the interactive map to click on a city or region, and discover the attractions you could see there, including parks, historic sites, museums, markets, and churches. You could visit the Bach Museum in Leipzig, all about the life of the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach, who lived there. The beautiful, palace-filled Elbe Valley around Dresden is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And, of course, you cannot forget Berlin, where you can see the Brandenburg Gate and where the Berlin Wall used to be when Berlin was a divided city.

Kiev Information Guide

www.kiev.info/culture/index.htm
See page 227 in The World Today.

Here is your website for planning a tour of Kiev, Ukraine. St. Sofia Cathedral, founded almost 1000 years ago, is one of Kiev’s top attractions and full of beautiful frescoes (wall paintings) and mosaics. The cathedral is also important for its historic graffiti! The city has many Ukrainian national museums, like the National Museum of Medicine, the National Art Museum, and the Ukrainian Museum of Historical Treasures, which has a famous collection of historic gold jewellery.

Ukraine Country and Travel Guide

www.countriesandcities.com/countries/ua
See page 227 in The World Today.

There is more to see in Ukraine than Kiev. The other major Ukrainian city is the port of Odessa, on the Black Sea. This site brings together links to other websites about Ukraine. You can learn more about Ukraine’s history, culture, and government.

Crete Travel Guide

www.cretetravel.com
See page 229 in The World Today.

The Greek island of Crete is the southernmost European island. Try out the simple life in a traditional Cretan village. Or go para-gliding above the sea. Crete has mountains, beaches, caves, luxury hotels, fantastic weather, unique natural life, and archaeological sites galore. Plan your “trip” to Crete using this on-line travel guide.

Athens Guide

www.athensguide.org
See page 229 in The World Today.

What would you eat if you visited Athens? Where would you stay? What places in the city would you visit? Decide what you would do in Athens on the Athens Guide website. Athens has a lot to be famous for: its sunny climate, cafés and cuisine, the Olympics, but, most of all, the ruins and museums full of ancient Greek artifacts. Do not miss the Acropolis and the Parthenon, but also see what smaller sites you might want to visit there. Can you name the ancient Greek goddess for whom the city of Athens was named?

Rome for Beginners

www.forbeginners.info/rome
See page 231 in The World Today.

It is hard to decide what to see first in Rome. You would have to live there to have time to take in all the art, architecture, historic ruins, food, and ultra-cool café culture. If you could, would you just park your Vespa scooter at an outdoor café and eat gelato? Or would you first head to the Vatican, an independent country within Rome, and gaze upward at Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling? This Rome for Beginners website gives you information about how to get to different places, where to stay, what to eat, and what to see.

Italia

www.italiantourism.com
See page 231 in The World Today.

Italy is famous for being a boot-shaped peninsula, “kicking” Sicily into the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily is just one of Italy’s many islands; the other big one is Sardinia. Use this Italian tourism website to plan your personal tour of Italy. Would you visit Sicily and Sardinia, or stick to the mainland? Which cities and regions would you choose? Venice? Florence? Milan? Each one is chock-full of history, archaeology, art and architecture, with historic churches and monuments, public sculpture, and museums bursting with the works of famous artists (like Michelangelo, Titian, and Leonardo da Vinci).

Roma Sotterranea

www.underome.com
See page 231 in The World Today.

Roma Sotterranea (or “Under Rome”) is a website dedicated to the secret world found under the city of Rome. In many cultures, people have built dwellings, tombs, and other structures underground; and, over time, above-ground buildings are sometimes buried only to be rediscovered later. In Rome, the Roma Sotterranea association discovers and preserves this underground heritage.

The Cave of Lascaux

www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en
See page 233 in The World Today.

The Lascaux Cave is probably the most famous prehistoric art site in Europe. This Paleolithic (“stone age”) cave is full of rock art—paintings and engravings, mostly of large animals such as horses, cows, bison, stags (deer), and ibexes (a kind of goat). On this website, learn where the cave is, why it is special, and read the story of its discovery (it was discovered accidentally by four teenagers in 1940). In 1963, scientists learned that the carbon dioxide from the breath of so many visitors was causing the paintings to deteriorate. The cave has been closed to the public ever since, but you can take a virtual tour on this site.

Fodor’s Travel Guides

www.fodors.com
See page 233 in The World Today.

Where in the world do you want to go? Plan a real or imaginary trip to virtually anywhere using the Fodor’s website. Use the search bar or the interactive map to find pages about France. But you can use this site to research almost any travel destination. Barcelona? Barbados? Bangkok? It is up to you and your imagination.

Paris

www.v1.paris.fr/en
See page 233 in The World Today.

On the official website of the city of Paris, discover Paris from many different points of view. Learn how the city government works, or learn what you would need to do to become a university student in Paris. And, of course, you can read about Paris’s must-see sites, like the Louvre, the Champs-Elysées, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame cathedral.